I’m not sure Ottawa would buy, even if selling Pinelli.
From what I understand, the Kingwell deal is domino #1. Ottawa has a few more NCAA rumoured players, most notably Vandenberg and Krawczyk that could potentially join next year (or earlier). I don’t see why they wouldn’t. As I posted previously today, their 2026 roster looks solid if they do manage to get those guys signed. So, if Boyd has a strong sense he will snag those two then next year’s team will be bursting at the seems. Hypothetically you pull out that lineup and add Mews, Foster, Dever, and Barlas to that team plus the Import pick and whomever they draft next year and trade for this year. All of a sudden they have 13 forwards, 6 D-Men, plus the Import, 1st round pick, and any player they trade for? There may be some serious competition for spots.
It actually makes me think keeping Foster may not be as valuable next year as I first thought. It is still good to have a veteran to help anchor the lineup but if you have some mature 17 year old rookies as well as a few veteran forwards like Barlas and Dever, it may not be all that bad. Shortage of bodies isn’t likely going to be a problem.